Nights With A Roman Vampire
by NekoChan-1995
Summary: James is the new daytime guard for Aurora, an ancient Graeco-Roman vampire with a lot of secrets. At first he thinks she's paranoid, but as he gets to know her, he starts to understand her fears. After two thousand years, anyone would be worried about someone trying to kill her. Rated M for sex. Takes place after Vampire Mine as if Casimir survived.
1. Chapter 1

James Greene walked into Connor Buchannan's office at Romatech and was surprised to find, instead of Connor, a beautiful, aristocratic looking woman. She was petite, but curvacious, with long legs, a heart shaped face, cupid's bow lips, a roman nose, chocolate colored, almond shaped eyes, and long black hair. When she saw him, her nose crinkled.

"Who are you?" she had a lilting accent he couldn't place.

"James Greene, one of the daytime guards at the townhouse. Connor called me in." he offered a hand, but she didn't shake it, instead muttering something in what sounded very much like Latin.

"When will he be here? I am a very busy woman." she looked annoyed, but offered no name for herself.

"Doona fash. I am here, Aurora." Connor walked in. "And I called you in for a verra good reason."

"Well, what is it? I could be in my beloved Rome, enjoying my death sleep right now." she frowned.

"Tis no' Rome anymore. Tis Italy." Connor told her.

The woman, Aurora, glared at him. "It will always be part of the Roman Empire to me, Connor."

"Does it matter? It's been hundreds of years." Connor looked annoyed and James realized that the woman must be older than even Roman, which he found amusing considering how much she seemed to love Rome.

"When you've lived as long as I, years pass by like nights." Aurora flicked her hand. "I can still remember the uproar the death of Caesar caused."

Connor looked annoyed. "It doesna matter right now. You're in danger. The Malcontents know ye're still alive. They aren't happy."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not like they know where my _palazzo_ is. I'm safe there."

"No, ye are no'. They found it last night." Connor showed her a picture of a Russian man snapping pictures of a gorgeous mansion that looked more like a palace.

Aurora let out what must have been a string of curses in what James now knew _was_ Latin.

"Does Angus know of this? He promised me full protection."

"Were you part of his harem?" James asked.

Aurora's dare would have been deadly if eyes could kill. She cursed him violently and he took if as a no. "I would never be caught dead in a harem. I am an independent woman and have been for two thousand years."

"Nobody's saying ye weren't." Connor frowned before glaring at James. "But, that's the problem right now. Ye were too self-sufficient and most Vamps havena survived that long. Ye're a threat to the Malcontents because of ye're knowledge of the way they've always worked in the past. And they aren't happy about ye killing off the last of they're harem."

Aurora hmphed. "Then the damn girls shouldn't have attacked me."

"Either way, James here is going to be ye're new guard." Connor nodded towards James.

Aurora shot into a standing position. "What? But he's mortal. And my enemies are not."

"It was Angus's instructions." Connor shrugged.

Aurora looked furious. "Where is he?"

"The lad is standing right behind ye." Connor smiled.

"Not him. Angus." Aurora's eyes flashed.

Connor's smile faded. "At the townhouse."

"Good." Aurora suddenly grabbed James and everything went black.

XxXxX

Aurora dragged James through the townhouse as soon as they materialized there, looking for Angus. When she found him in the office on the fifth floor, she shoved the human in his direction, ignoring how attractive the blasted man was. That was a fact that just annoyed her. "I don't _want_ a mortal guard, Angus. You promised me-"

"I know what I promised ye." Angus frowned. "And he's . . . special."

"Who's this?" a pretty woman walked up to them, wrapping an arm around Angus's arm.

"Emma this is Aurora. I saved her from a br-" he cut off when Aurora glared at him. "I saved her in the early seventeenth century and then she saved me in the Great Vampire War of 1710. I promised her protection and have been providing it for years. She's my oldest client. Literally."

"I don't understand." Emma frowned. "Are you older than Angus?"

"Aye, she is. By quite a bit." Angus's eyes twinkled with mirth.

Aurora frowned. "It's not polite to talk about a woman's age, Angus."

"So, I'm guessing you're not Aurora, like the Disney princess?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

"I was named after the goddess of the dawn. She was a minor goddess, but my mother worshiped her." Aurora's chin came up.

"Goddess? When were you born?" Emma looked interested.

"66 B.C. I was twenty-two when I was transformed, just days before Caesar's death in 44 B.C." she told the other woman. "I'm quite possibly the oldest vampire alive."

"Wow." Emma looked amazed. "Who transformed you?"

Aurora didn't answer that question. "Angus, I want a vampire guard."

"Lass, ye have enemies in the daytime too. And ye already have three vampire guards." Angus frowned. "Ye played yer part in the war too well. And Casimer wants ye dead for it. As much as yer espionage helped us, it hurt ye."

Aurora sighed. "Then I want two daytime guards."

Emma frowned. "You're awfully demanding when you aren't our only client."

Aurora glared at her. "I didn't say I wanted them for free. I pay for every single guard that protects me. And I give them benefits of my own. But, I also don't want only one guard, because then he doesn't have anyone to watch his back."

"Aurora planned the strategy for most of our battles." Angus told Emma. "She's seen more than anyone else."

"And I knew information from the other side." Aurora shrugged. "Is there anyone available?"

Angus sighed. "I can send ye Carlos and his wife. Then ye'll have three daytime and three nighttime guards, but that's it. We havena got the manpower at the moment."

Aurora nodded. "Thank you, Angus. I know I'm paranoid, but I appreciate it."

"Ye're not paranoid, lass. Ye've been through hell and barely made it out alive. It's fine for ye to have a cautious nature." Angus shrugged.

Aurora stood up. "Thank you for the kind words, Angus. But you know as well as I that I'm an ancient woman with ancient fears." She looked at James. "We'll teleport to Italy tomorrow evening and I'll have Derrick show you around the _palazzo_."

"Yes, ma'am." James nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

James was amazed as he gazed at Aurora's home. She'd called it a _palazzo_, which he knew roughly translated into palace, and it fit the name. When he went in, he was shocked at how different it was. There were weapons _everywhere_ and the walls had silver decorations covering them that he knew would stop a vampire from teleporting in or out, as well as stop them from using telepathic communication.

A young man with curly, dark red hair walked up to him. "Hi. My name is Derrick. I'm in charge of nighttime security."

"James." he shook the other man's hand.

"Alright. Let's get started." Derrick put his hands in his pockets. "As you can see, we're well-equipped with weapons and we have silver lining all the walls for added protection. The entire house is like this and security at all of the doors leading to the outside is nearly impossible to get through, but not in Aurora's room, where she has a terrace. Nobody's attacked the house in fifty years, but she's cautious."

"You mean paranoid." James was starting to think the woman he'd be guarding was a little bit crazy, which deducted from her beauty.

"When a woman has as many enemies as she does, she has a right to be cautious." Derrick's eyes narrowed. "More than just Casimer wants to kill her. She's been alive a very long time and knows many things that can be considered dangerous."

James nodded. "What will my duties be?"

Derrick shrugged. "You'll go around the _palazzo_ once every two hours to make sure everything is okay. Nick, Jake, and I sleep on this floor by the kitchen. Aurora sleeps on the third floor in her suite. She has a cat, but you won't see much of him. He sleeps next to her during the day and is awake with her at night. If he does come out, he probably needs food. He'll take you to it."

"Anything else?" James was happy that his job seemed relatively straightforward.

"Only some advice. Don't ask Aurora too much about her past. She doesn't like it." Derrick shrugged. "Also, it's best if you take some classes in Latin. If she goes into a stream of curses, you're going to want to know what she's saying."

Before James could say anything, there was a crackle on the walkie talkie Derrick had on his belt. "Derrick, we have a problem."

Derrick grabbed the walkie talkie. "What is it, Nick?"

"Septimus is sick." Nick's voice came back. "I'm not sure if Aurora knows yet."

"Start looking in the black pages for a veterinarian. I'll be right there." Derrick started to put the walkie talkie back on his belt when it crackled again.

"No good, boss. It looks like he's on his last legs." Nick replied.

"Shit. She's had that damn cat for twenty years. This is gonna destroy her." Derrick muttered.

James wondered why age would matter to someone who'd already admitted that centuries had passed like days. "Nick, go ahead and take the cat to Aurora. We don't want the same thing that happened with Fig to happen now."

"Yes, sir." Derrick replied before the walkie talkie went dead again.

"What happened with Fig?" James couldn't stop himself from asking.

Derrick looked annoyed at the question. "Fig had a heart attack during the day, when none of us were awake and when Aurora found him in the kitchen, she was very upset. She nearly destroyed the kitchen. Her cats mean very much to her."

"Doesn't she have any friends who come to see her?" James asked.

"Her only friends are Roman Dragonesti, Jean-Luc Echarpe, and Angus MacKay and they are all busy coven masters and business owners." Derrick shrugged. "She does a lot of investigating and spying for Angus, but mostly runs her own business."

"What does she do?" James was intrigued.

"She's a software engineer and web designer. She's the one that makes it impossible for our computers to be hacked. You'd have to actually be at the computer and even then you have to know a series of passwords to put in in the exact right order. And her websites are extremely popular in the human world." Derrick shrugged. "She also works for Jean-Luc on occassion as a fashion designer and Roman every once in a while we he and his chemist, Lazlo, are having trouble with a new formula."

"What about Lazlo?" Aurora walked in. "Did he call?"

"No. I was telling James about your business and how you help Roman and Lazlo with formulas on occasion. Did Nick find you?" Derrick asked.

Aurora nodded, a pain flashing across her eyes. "Unfortunately, Septimus did not make it. He's buried next to Fig and Misa."

Derrick nodded. "Are we going to get another-"

"No. I can't handle it anymore. I'm not going to watch another mortal being that I love die."

Aurora shook her head. "The sun will be rising soon. I'm going to have something to drink before bed." She walked away, her head held high.

XxXxX

The next evening, Aurora woke up with a shuddering gasp and immediately felt the pain of all of the centuries she'd lived through. She fought back tears and climbed out of bed, getting a bottle of Chocolood out of her mini-fridge and warming it up in the microwave by the window. As she looked out the window, she thought about how she didn't know how Roman and everyone else could marry mortals. She didn't understand how they could dare to love again, but she was just an old fool who'd been burned too many times.

The brothel was the worst time by far. It still hurt her to remember how her then-husband had sold her into what was basically sexual slavery. She was lucky she was good at vampire sex and could make the bastards that came to see her feel good without touching them. But being in their minds had been hell.

Her hands clenched the window sill, fingers digging into the wood. No. She wouldn't think about it. Thinking about the brothel ended up leading her to thinking about Rome. Before she was a vampire. And that was worse. She didn't have the power of a vampire then. She was just a mortal with the ability to hear what people were thinking. She couldn't control that until she became a vampire.

There was a knock on the door the same time the microwave beeped. She grabbed the now-hot bottle out of the microwave and took a long drink before telling whoever it was that the door was open.

An unfamiliar man and woman walked in. The man spoke inba Brazilian accent. "I'm Carlos Panterra and this is my wife, Caitlyn. Angus assigned us to protect you."

Aurora smelled something . . . off about the two of them. "You're shifters?" She forced herself not to take a step back. She was not fond of shifters.

"Were-panthers." Caitlyn nodded.

"Do you know if Angus is back in London yet?" Aurora asked.

"He is." Carlos nodded. "He left New York last night."

"Good. Why don't you go talk to Derrick about your duties?" Aurora shooed them out.

They stopped just outside her door. "I have a feeling we just scared the snot of her." Caitlyn whispered.

"Well, Angus did say not to tell her what we were unless she already figured it out." Carlos whispered back.

"Well, she figured it out and she is not happy." Caitlyn sighed.

"Angus said she had her reasons and we shouldn't pry." Carlos sounded like he was trying to reassure his wife. "Come on. Let's go talk to Derrick."

Aurora let out a sigh of relief before pulling out her cell phone and calling Angus. When he answered, he sounded relieved. She barely let him even say hello before talking. "What's the deal with the shifters?"

"Carlos and Caitlyn are verra good at their job." Angus sounded annoyed now. "You know I wouldn't send you anyone unable to protect."

"Angus, you know how I feel about shifters." Aurora told him.

"I think it's about time ye got over yer fears, lass. Carlos and Caitlyn are loyal employees. They willna harm ye." Angus sighed. "And no one else can be moved from their places."

Aurora could remember all of those years of being hunted by shifters. "Fine. I'll try to be more . . . not terrified."

"Good. By the way, Jean-Luc and his family are going over there for a visit. He's getting restless in Texas." Angus told her. "He'll be there soon."

"Alright. Thanks for the extra guards, Angus." Aurora sighed.

"Ye're welcome, lass." Angus hung up.


	3. Chapter 3

Twenty minutes after the call to Angus the Panterras and James were sent off to bed by Derrick and Jean-Luc and his family was being let into the _palazzo_. Aurora could hear them talking as she walked down the stairs.

"I thought you could just teleport wherever you had to go." a woman's voice.

"Aurora's home is . . . different. She has the walls lined with silver for safety. We can only teleport outside of it and be let in." Jean-Luc explained. "She has many enemies." "Her house is pretty." a little girl's voice. "Is she a princess?"

Aurora walked in, smiling. Company was long overdue. "No, I'm not a princess. Hello, Jean-Luc." They shared a quick hug. "It's been forever."

"Yes, it has. We thought we'd drop by for a visit." Jean-Luc grinned. "This is my wife, Heather, and Bethany. We left the twins in New York with Shanna for a couple of days, so you'll have to see them the next time you come visit.""

"Are you sure you're not a princess? You have the same name as one and you're as pretty as one." Bethany looked unconvinced.

"I'm sure." Aurora smiled at the little girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you two."

Heather nodded. "Likewise." she stared for a long moment. "Are you sure you're older than Jean-Luc? You don't look a day over twenty."

"I was twenty-two when I was transformed." Aurora told her. "And that was in 44 B.C."

"Wow." Heather looked impressed. "Where are you from?"

"Rome." Aurora smiled. "It was very beautiful back then."

"How do you still have an accent after so long?" Heather asked.

Aurora shrugged. "It took me centuries to be able to speak fluently in new languages. During that time, I never lost my accent because I still spoke Latin and Greek most of the time."

"Her French is barely passable." Jean-Luc shrugged.

"It has been many years since you taught me your language, Jean-Luc. I am more fluent than ever." Aurora glared at him.

Jean-Luc just chuckled. "I also taught you fencing."

Aurora grinned. "Now you're making things up. I already knew swordsmanship. I learned from my master in Rome."

"Master?" Heather asked.

"I was a slave." Aurora explained. "And the master taught me things only a soldier would know."

"Slaves were treated well in those days." Jean-Luc mused.

"Nihil!" Aurora snapped, forgetting to speak English in her anger.

"What does that mean?" Heather asked.

"No! Not at all! We were like dirt. My mater was a Greek slave who was abused by her dominus and had me. I was transformed when my dominus decided he liked my looks more than his uxor! I killed him right after and then had to run." Aurora was upset now.

"Aurora, calm down. You're almost speaking more Latin than English and nobody can really understand you." Jean-Luc's voice was soothing and helped Aurora calm down before she started hearing everyone's thought again.

"I don't understand." Heather looked confused.

Jean-Luc smiled at her. "I'm a bit rusty, so it's good I've heard this before. Her mother was a Greek slave who was abused by her master and the affair resulted in Aurora. Her master transformed her when he deemed her more beautiful than his wife after he was turned himself. She killed him after she awoke and had to run, because she was still a slave."

"Oh." Heather nodded.

"I'm bored." Bethany announced.

Aurora grinned at the little girl. "Of course you are. We've been talking about boring grown up stuff. Do you want to see the garden? We could have a tea party."

The girl's eyes widened. "You like tea parties?"

"Of course. All girls do." Aurora nodded. She glanced at Jean-Luc. "Will you be joining us or looking at my new designs?"

"I'll be joining you." Jean-Luc told her. "Roman is coming tomorrow night."

Aurora frowned as she led them to her garden, which was in full bloom with sweet-smelling flowers. She got to the table and chairs that were always set up and texted Nick to bring supplies for a tea party. "Do you really think I don't see through that? You all want to make sure I'm protected."

Jean-Luc shrugged. "We have a report that says you're at the top of Casimer's hit list."

"What were the exact words?" Aurora asked. "From the source."

Jean-Luc glanced at Bethany, who was busy examining a flower. "Casimer told our spy that he wants "that Graeco-Roman bitch dead at all costs." Every one of his followers is after you."

"Things were easier when he thought I was dead." Aurora sighed.

Heather looked at Jean-Luc. "Why don't you come back to Texas with us?"

"And leave my home?" Aurora shook her head. "Never. Casimer will not scare me away. Not again."

"Everyone's worried about you, Aurora. You're on your own out here and you choose to keep it that way." Jean-Luc sighed.

Aurora smiled. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Jean-Luc didn't look convinced. "Are you?"

Aurora shrugged. "I like my solitude. Besides, I get more work done."

"You haven't released anything new in months." Jean-Luc stated.

Aurora stood up and started pacing. "I know. I can't think."

"Where's Septimus?" Jean-Luc asked, obviously trying to change the subject and calm her down.

Aurora shook her head. "He died last night. I won't be getting another pet. Their lives are just so

short."

"I think it's time you took a vacation." Jean-Luc sighed.

Aurora looked at him. "You sure? With you in Texas, I've been coming up with more designs for you than ever before. And Lazlo is working on some new project that he said he might need my help with. And Angus always needs someone to do some investigating."

"Aurora, you haven't had a real vacation since the war of 1710 ended and you bought this _palazzo_. I think it's long overdue." Jean-Luc looked genuinely concerned.

Aurora thought about it. "I'd have to take at least one guard with me."

"Two." Jean-Luc frowned. "Day and night."

"My vampire guards deserve a vacation. I'll bring James." Aurora shrugged. "He's not a shifter, so I'll feel more comfortable."

Heather opened her mouth, but Jean-Luc shook his head and spoke instead. "You're welcome to visit my chateau in Paris."

"I've spent enough time in Paris." Aurora shook her head. "And frankly, I'm never going back to France at all."

Jean-Luc looked offended. "There's nothing wrong with-"

"Brothel." Aurora whispered. "I'm never going back "

Jean-Luc nodded. "I had forgotten."

Aurora shrugged. "I'm thinking New York. I can stay in Roman's townhouse."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Jean-Luc nodded.

XxXxX

James was more than a little surprised when he was woken up early by Aurora and was informed that they'd be spending a month in New York for a vacation. He was even more surprised to find out that he was the only guard she was taking with her. Apparently she'd figured out the Panterras were were-panthers, so they were guarding the _palazzo_ while the vampire guards went on vacation. It was a good time to mention to her that he was a shifter himself, but he held back. Connor had already explained to him about her fear of shifters.

When she teleported with him to New York in the early hours of the morning, straight into the townhouse Roman Draganesti owned, he heard the alarm go off. Aurora frowned at the noise, which was set so only vampires and shifters could hear it, and then at the black man who rushed in. James already had his gun out and pointed at the strange man.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded, claymore in hand.

Aurora sighed. "I should have given notice. I forgot about the alarms. I'm Aurora and I'm here for vacation. Call Roman or Angus if you want to check my identity."

The black man pulled a cell phone and called someone. He whispered too quietly for James to hear, even with his shifter hearing, and hung up. "All right. Connor says you're cool. I'm Phineas McKinney, but you can call me Dr. Phang."

Aurora muttered something in Latin, looking annoyed, and James put his gun away before she spoke again, this time loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'll be staying on the fifth floor, in Roman's office and bedroom."

"Uh. No can do." Phineas shook his head. "Jack and his wife are staying there for a while."

"Giacomo is here?" Aurora brightened.

"Not at the moment, but he will be back soon." Phineas shrugged. "Lara wanted to do some shopping."

"I'm going to Romatech to see Lazlo. Can you let me know when they get here? James will give you my cell number." Aurora asked.

"Sure thing." Phineas nodded.

Aurora grinned and disappeared. James gave Phineas her cell number. "So, you're one of the nighttime guards?"

"Yep. I've been a vamp for a few years now." Phineas nodded. "Angus took a chance on me when I said I didn't want to work for the Malcontents."

James nodded. "He's a good guy. Do you know what he saved Aurora from? Angus tried to tell Emma while I was in the room, but she cut him off."

Phineas frowned. "Nope. All I know was that it was in like 1632 when it happened. And that she's terrified of shifters. Oh yeah. I have to warn Phil. He's a werewolf and staying here for a few days. Go ahead and look around the place." He zoomed off at vampire speed.

James frowned. He knew Aurora was scared of shifters and it presented more and more of a problem for him. Angus had told him not to tell her unless she figured it out, but he didn't like the deception. And he hadn't lost one of his lives, so he'd be shifting into a snow leopard in two nights, on the full moon. He had no idea what he was going to do.

As he worked it out, a woman with purple hair walked in. "Oh. Hey. You must be Aurora's day guard turned bodyguard. I'm Vanda."

"I'm James. It's nice to meet you." they shook hands and her nostrils flared

"You're a shifter." her eyes widened. "Does Aurora know?"

"Not at the moment. Though she might figure it out in a couple of days." James shifted from foot to foot.

Vanda shot him a sympathetic look. "Full moon, huh? What are you?"

"Snow leopard I got bit when I was a kid." James shrugged.

Vanda frowned. "You know, Aurora's gonna be pissed. She was hunted by shape shifters for two hundred years."

James frowned. "Why?"

"She learned a lot of things a couple of tribes, herds, and packs wanted to keep hidden. It took two hundred years for those leaders to be challenged by stronger males that decided she wasn't worth it. They told her not to share what she learned and she was scared shitless, so she agreed." Vanda shrugged. "She has a lot of secrets. It's why Casimir wants her dead."

"How do you know so much?" James asked. "Nobody else, except for Angus, seems to."

Vanda smiled. "She could sense we were kindred spirits. She somehow knew I was terrified of wolves because I had been hunted by werewolves. She said she needed to discuss it with someone and I was the ideal person because I knew how to keep it to myself. She's hiding something else painful, though. Something she hasn't even told Angus."

"How do you know?" James was curious.

"It's a gut feeling." Vanda shrugged.

"No it's not. Connor told you what Angus told him about her hiding something deep, dark, and painful." a man with the distinct scent of a shifter walked in and Vanda's eyes softened with love. The man turned to look at James. "You must be James. Phineas just mentioned you. Didn't say you were a shifter though."

James shrugged. "I don't think he figured it out. You must be Phil."

The other man nodded. "Yep. Werewolf. You?"

"Snow leopard" James shook his hand.

"Another cat shifter. I didn't think there were any that shifted into snow leopards though." Phil looked thoughtful. "Have you met Carlos?"

"The were-panther? Yeah. He's pretty cool." James shrugged. "And snow leopards are pretty rare. I think there are only about two dozen of us around. And most of us were bit."  
Phil frowned. "You worried about the extinction of your species?"

"Not as much as the were-panthers. The chances of survival after a bite are higher with us." James shrugged.

Phil nodded. "Well, we have to get going. It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise." James nodded.


End file.
